I just had to call 911 on a rather scary guy

[SeattleGirl]

I had to go pay a bill today, and as I was crossing the street, I heard some guy yelling. I looked across the street, and this guy -- who was by himself -- was yelling and gesturing, and then he dumped over one of the public trash cans on the sidewalk. Scared me, especially when he started walking toward where I was. I practically ran into the building I needed to go to. Then I heard him yell some more, so looked out the window, and he was dumping over another trash can. He was still yelling and gesturing. I didn't see any weapons, but he was wearing a jacket with pockets, so who knows.

Anyway, I decided to call 911, because I was afraid he might turn on a person, instead of trash cans. Or, that he might run out into the street and get hit. He kept walking down the street, and dumping trash cans. About 5 minutes later, several Seattle PD cars went by. They found him about 2 blocks away from where I was, dumping yet another trash can. He started walking back up the street toward where I was, with an officer following him (no weapon drawn).

Anyway, I don't know what's going to happen to him. It seemed to me he probably has some mental health problems, as opposed to being drunk or something. He is probably one of the many many "disposable people" in our society. But while I feel sorry for him, if that's the case, he also scared me, and the other people who were in that area on foot. I had to do something.

[MadHound]

1. Poor guy's probably homeless, off his meds, and off his rocker

You did the right thing. They'll either take him someplace where he can at least get a script filled, or to jail, where he'll at least have three hots and a cot for a couple of nights.

[SeattleGirl]

4. From the looks of his clothes, my thought is that he is homeless

As I said, I think he is part of the increasing population of "disposable people" in our society. Very sad, but I felt he was definitely a danger to himself and others, so I called the police. I was glad that the one cop who followed him back up the street didn't have her weapon drawn (nor did the others there).

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. Could you hear what he was yelling?

Did it make any sense?

Off the top o' my brain, I'm thinking schizophrenia.

Poor guy.

[SeattleGirl]

5. I think he is schizophrenic, also

When I lived in another area of Seattle, my house was across the street from the back of a dry cleaners. For some months, this guy was living in a makeshift shack, and every night, about 11:00, he would start yelling gibberish. Me and my housemates called him The Preacherman, because he would pace back and forth while he was yelling. Other than that, he never caused any problems at all. The cops knew he was there, and would drive by on occasion. He finally moved on. The one ironic thing about it was the main center for Seattle Mental Health Services was one block away!

[dr.strangelove]

Sorry you encountered that

It would have scared me. You made the right call. Hopefully Seattle's finest will get him some help.

[SeattleGirl]

6. I hope they can get him some help, though I'm afraid he may end

up back out on the streets again, in the same situation. There are too many people like this man, with no one, and nothing to help him, except perhaps on a very temporary basis.

[Dave Reynolds]

3. I remember Seattle PD from when I lived on Whidbey Island,

I'm surprised they were not tasering like mad.

But you really did do the right thing.:thumbsup:

[SeattleGirl]

7. Well, in fairness to the cops, sometimes they are put in situations

where they are damned if they do, and damned if they don't. We had an incident in my neighborhood a few years ago, about 3 blocks from where I lived, where the cops shot a man dead in the street. This man lived in that area, and had pistol-whipped 2 little children (his girlfriend's kids) under the age of five. Pistol-whipped them! I still want to cry when I think about that.

Anyway, the girlfriend called 911, and the guy, once the cops were there, got out on the balcony. Then he managed to get out of the little apartment complex he lived in. He still had the gun in his hands and was waving it around. Cops kept telling him to drop the gun, but he wouldn't. He finally pointed it at them, and they shot him. Maybe it was suicide by cop, I don't know. But the whole freaking thing was scary and sad. The cops have been critized for shooting, they've been criticized for tazering, but in some situations, I don't know that they have a lot of choice.

As to the incident today, I do feel I did the right thing. My aim was not to get him into trouble, but to keep people -- including this man -- safe, as he was definitely a danger. And as I said, non of the cops had weapons drawn, because there was no indication that the man had any weapons, so I'll give them credit for that.

[Dave Reynolds]

8. Oh, I agree.

I would never want to have to make the decision that those guys have to. Most of what I remember from working at U-Dub was that they seemed to be suicide by cop.

[SeattleGirl]

9. I got to go on a ride-along with SPD about 20 years ago

when I was in college (Seattle U). I was in the downtown sector (David Sector). It was very interesting, but a couple of calls were a bit scary, like the call we got on a gang shooting. Turned out not be be serious, but yikes! The young cop I was riding with knew a lot of the "regulars", and while it may have just been because I was in the car with him, but he treated them (the "skid road" alcoholics, the prostitutes) with a lot of respect, even when he had to haul them down to the jail. My ride-along was from 11:00 PM to 3:00 AM, so I got to see a lot of the "night life" downtown.

I also got to see the Green River Task Force Room -- this was when the Task Force still had a lot of people working on it. I remember sitting there, looking at the wall where the pictures of all the missing/dead women were posted. Very sad.

[mdmc]

10. sounds like the trash was mouthin off to him

:tinfoilhat:

[elehhhhna]

13. lol & he was talking trash right back!

[mdmc]

14. some clown in Sacramento got dragged into court

he shot his lawnmower
disobeyed him
wouldn't start.

YOU CAN'T TAKE SHIT FROM ANYONE (or anything):D

[Whoa_Nelly]

11. Scary, but you did the right thing, SG

You're right. He may have ended up getting hit in the street, or turning on another person. There's really no second-guessing what this guy was really all about, but he was defintely in need of intervention of some type.

:hug: for you

[SeattleGirl]

12. I think he will probably get some short-term help, but long-term?

I'm not so hopeful, not because a lot of people don't care about folks like him, but because the folks who hold the purse strings don't. It's so sad.

Thanks for the hug, Nelly. :hug: